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Thursday, November 30, 2017
Advocacy Request from the Cancer Policy Institute
Falling and Flying...
Reflections on this comic: 6/14/16 I wrote this while recovering from my first major surgery, and it has seemed to strike a chord in others. I know I can't speak for all cancer patients, but getting cancer and going through treatments brought the best out in me. Maybe I'm the type of person that ....
Healthy Swap: Butternut Soup -- New Post of Living Well
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Fortenberry is a registered dietitian at Touro Infirmary. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Southern Mississippi. Julie believes that lifestyle changes and wholesome nutrition are obtainable, and brings real-life understanding to wellness and nutritional counseling.Tip of the Day: Vary your family's protein routine
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Vary your family’s protein routine.
Offer steamed edamame (soybeans). Kids love to pop the beans out of their shell! For younger kids, cut the beans into small pieces or mash up so they can enjoy them too.
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Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Guest Comic: Over...
This is a special comic, as it was created by a cancer survivor for one of my closest cancer surviving friends! I think it's a brief and funny reminder about watching the language we use when talking to someone going through cancer. I routinely bring up my friend, Susie Gander, a cancer survivor of Hodgkins Lymphoma and the crazy talented artist behind Perry Winkle, a must read for anyone in the middle of cancer treatment. Susie and me share the same crazy urge to make comics about cancer while getting treatments and working full time. On top of all of that Susie heads up multiple cancer fundraising events. If you haven't yet, please order her stunningly beautiful and empowering comic that you can read online at www.perrwinklecomic.com.
And as for Riley....
Well, how do you even begin to describe the ass-kicker that is my friend, Riley? Well, for starters she's a stage 4 Colon Cancer survivor who was diagnosed while pregnant, and had two different ostomies during that time as well. She's now a huge colon cancer advocate while working as a therapist. She will also be featured with me in an upcoming Colonder (coming soon)! Riley and I are kindred spirits, in that we're both therapists and cancer survivors AND we speak very bluntly about the cancer experience as a whole. Like me, Riley saw her experience and survival as a chance to give back to raise awareness and advocacy.
And as for Riley....
Well, how do you even begin to describe the ass-kicker that is my friend, Riley? Well, for starters she's a stage 4 Colon Cancer survivor who was diagnosed while pregnant, and had two different ostomies during that time as well. She's now a huge colon cancer advocate while working as a therapist. She will also be featured with me in an upcoming Colonder (coming soon)! Riley and I are kindred spirits, in that we're both therapists and cancer survivors AND we speak very bluntly about the cancer experience as a whole. Like me, Riley saw her experience and survival as a chance to give back to raise awareness and advocacy.
Between all the celebrations, remember to exercise !
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Tip of the Day: Sharing is Caring!
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Sharing is caring!
When dining out, share an entrée with a friend or box half of it up. Enjoy now and enjoy later!
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A festive, Fun Craft in Time for the Holidays
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Tuesday, November 28, 2017
A Few Critical Things That Helped Me Survive Pancreatic Cancer
Laurie MacCaskill
Contributor
At the age of 55, I was in perfect health and terrific physical shape. One day I experienced a very sharp, intense lightning bolt of pain throughout my entire body. It only lasted for about five seconds, but it transitioned into a nagging back pain.
I immediately went to see a doctor, but was sent home with diagnoses of gas, and again with a pulled muscle. It wasn’t until a few weeks later when the pain didn’t go away and I began losing weight that I returned to the doctor, insisting on more tests. Ultimately, after an advanced endoscopy and a colonoscopy, did I hear the words that would change my life forever:
“Laurie, you have pancreatic cancer.”
At that point, the pancreatic adenocarcinoma was stage III and had already spread to my duodenum and lymph nodes. After over three years of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries (including the Whipple, which is considered the most complicated abdominal surgery in existence), numerous complications, complex therapies, insurmountable side effects, and too many emergency room visits to count, I was told the treatment was no longer effective and I had three to six months to live.
Finding Joy Amid Cancer
BY DARGAN THOMPSON
When Margaret Feinberg first decided to write a book about joy, she had no idea just how difficult that process would turn out to be.
Just a few weeks before turning in a draft of the book to her publisher, Feinberg discovered she had cancer.
As you might imagine, that entirely changed her book. She scrapped her first draft and started over. In the resulting book, Fight Back With Joy, Feinberg explores how joy can actually be used as a weapon to fight life’s battles.
When Margaret Feinberg first decided to write a book about joy, she had no idea just how difficult that process would turn out to be.
Just a few weeks before turning in a draft of the book to her publisher, Feinberg discovered she had cancer.
As you might imagine, that entirely changed her book. She scrapped her first draft and started over. In the resulting book, Fight Back With Joy, Feinberg explores how joy can actually be used as a weapon to fight life’s battles.
Skin Cancers Rise, Along With Questionable Treatments
John Dalman had been in the waiting room at a Loxahatchee, Fla., dermatology clinic for less than 15 minutes when he turned to his wife and told her they needed to leave. Now.
“It was like a fight or flight impulse,” he said.
His face numbed for skin-cancer surgery, Mr. Dalman, 69, sat surrounded by a half-dozen other patients with bandages on their faces, scalps, necks, arms and legs. At a previous visit, a young physician assistant had taken 10 skin biopsies, which showed slow growing, nonlethal cancerous lesions. Expecting to have the lesions simply scraped off at the next visit, he had instead been told he needed surgery on many of them, as well as a full course of radiation lasting many weeks.
A Breast Cancer Conversation With My Granddaughter
Explaining breast cancer to a young child can be difficult. Often, they have questions we would never imagine. This cancer survivor shares her story in hopes that more conversations with children will ensue.
BY Bonnie Annis
PUBLISHED November 20, 2017
Bonnie Annis is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in 2014 with stage 2b invasive ductal carcinoma with metastasis to the lymph nodes. She is an avid photographer, freelance writer/blogger, wife, mother and grandmother.
On a recent trip to Texas to visit my grandchildren, I was surprised by the inquisitive heart of my oldest granddaughter, Kaitlyn. Throughout my stay, she was always asking questions. My little sidekick wanted to learn how to prepare meals, how to wash clothes and a myriad of other household chores. She felt she needed to learn these important tasks since her mother was in the hospital taking care of her new baby brother. Along with wanting to learn how to do menial tasks, Kaitlyn had many other questions.
Be a part of the magic as the block-long, gilded Waldorf Wonderland Lobby comes to life for the holiday season. The lobby display features 44 Birch trees, more than 22,000 twinkling lights, and scores of festively dressed Christmas trees. No reservations necessary.
Tip of the day:It's squash season
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Monday, November 27, 2017
Keeping Up Appearances - When Cancer Leaves Its Mark
Where I come from, looking good was all that mattered. In Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in the 1950s, what you wore to church on Sunday was more important than how you behaved during the week. My mother never tired of telling me that girls like me needed to “do the most with what they had.” Looking back, I can see that I was a pretty child, but at the time I couldn’t see beyond my freckles and slight chubbiness.
Even as a kid, though, I suspected that who you were on the inside was more important than how you looked. Sure, I wanted to fit in and wore checked gingham skirts over layers of crinolines, but I never spent much time on my hair or make-up. I was more concerned about being a good girl and helping Mom. But I could never do enough to keep her happy. My failure was constantly reinforced by the voice in my head that I would later name “The Vile Witch Upstairs.” I thought this inner critic was all there was to me.
Even as a kid, though, I suspected that who you were on the inside was more important than how you looked. Sure, I wanted to fit in and wore checked gingham skirts over layers of crinolines, but I never spent much time on my hair or make-up. I was more concerned about being a good girl and helping Mom. But I could never do enough to keep her happy. My failure was constantly reinforced by the voice in my head that I would later name “The Vile Witch Upstairs.” I thought this inner critic was all there was to me.
The Dangers of Caring Too Much - Cancer Today
Caregiving With Confidence
The Dangers of Caring Too Much
Shifting some responsibilities may empower your loved one and strengthen your relationship. By Aimee Swartz
It feels natural to step in when I can make life easier for my partner, Jackie, who has multiple myeloma. But one thing I’ve learned in the six years Jackie and I have been together is that taking on too much responsibility can backfire, ultimately causing us both more harm than good.
At times, Jackie has been so sick or sidelined with pain that she has needed my help with everything, from making her morning oatmeal to tying her sneakers. In those times, by necessity, I do what I can. But more often, she can take care of her own needs and responsibilities. That’s when I need to step back. My habit of intervening, what I call overcaring, can weaken Jackie’s sense of independence. It can also sap my own energy, which can lead to irritability, stress, resentment and caregiver burnout.
Holiday Travel - Stay Well!
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Tip of the Day: Craving Summer Fruit?
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Craving summer fruit?
Shop the freezer case or canned fruit shelves to include off-season fruit, like berries and peaches in your meal.
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